Bachmann-Palin Media Overdrive

Michele Bachmann has been getting a lot of media coverage over the past few months, with much of it focused on her presidential aspirations. Will she run, will she not?

Not all that surprising, right? After all, a run for the White House is big news.

But what I could not get my mind around is why has the media been so ‘civil’ with Ms. Bachmann. Having witnessed the all out assault on Sarah Palin that continues to this very day and considering that Bachmann is of the very same cloth; a strong conservative, pro life woman, one would expect similar treatment, no?

And lately we’re seeing a lot of comparisons in the media between Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann. Polls and surveys seeking to discover just who’s more popular.

Naturally, being of the tea party mindset and having absolutely no trust in the media, my conspiratorial juices, which I like to refer to as skeptical intrigue, begin to flow…

And speaking of conspiracy theories, there’s a healthy representation of conservatives that firmly believes that the media promoted John McCain’s candidacy in 2008 simply because they believed he was the best possible match up for Obama. Which was working just as planned until a certain Alaska Governor came into the picture.

As for Palin, pundits on the right are fond of saying that the media will always let you know who they’re most afraid of by looking at who they go at the hardest. And there can be no doubt that Sarah Palin is that person. Just look at the frothing at the mouth taking place this week over her bus tour.

Yet, compare that to the cordial treatment that Michele Bachmann receives and it just doesn’t make sense. Unless the media has an agenda. An agenda aimed at the one they fear the most.

Then it hit’s me like a bolt of lightening!

I submit that the media is capitalizing on Michele Bachmann’s prominence in an attempt to supplant Sarah Palin as the queen of conservatism. By indirectly promoting Bachmann, which they do by not going at her with both guns blazing, the goal is to knock Palin from her perch and replace her with someone they do not lie awake at night exasperating over.

Now don’t get me wrong, I greatly admire Michele Bachmann. Being heavily engaged in the healthcare reform that was shoved down our throats by the Democrats, I saw firsthand how Bachmann stepped to the forefront and publicly challenged Obama and Nancy Pelosi when few were willing to do so. She also continues to represent true conservative values and has shown that she’s willing to stand up to the political elite, even within her own party.

However, within the tea party movement, as admired as she is, Bachmann just doesn’t quite have the star power of Sarah Palin. Sure, she’s a prolific fundraiser and her negatives are nowhere near Palin’s, but at the end of the day, unless something significant happens, she’s going to have her hands full trying to unseat Barack Obama.

And the media knows this, hence their willingness to play her against Sarah Palin.

Which only furthers the position of power that Sarah Palin is in. Will she surprise Washington insiders and decide to run? Not too many believe she will, however, whether she runs or not, there can be no doubt that she will be a major factor in this race. Palin’s support, or lack thereof, will be crucial to the outcome. A comforting thought for American’s desperately looking for real change in Washington, D.C.